Diner Chats
by LucyLuna
Summary: Gwen asks Peter a question about his New York. Part five of My Memories Came Back in the Form of Someone Else series. One-Shot.


_Diner Chats_

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It wasn't often the spiders physically went to one another's universes. It was still too dangerous to stay in a New York that wasn't your own for very long since they had yet to find a way to stabilize an alternate Spider's existence in a universe they didn't belong to. But that didn't mean Gwen didn't go to visit Miles sometimes (or Peni, on one or two occasions). Nor did it mean she stopped other spiders from coming to see or help her out in her New York. Sometimes, Gwen was even the one to invite them. Which was exactly how she had found herself in a Brooklyn diner sipping on a milkshake as she watched Peter chow down on a cheeseburger.

The small moans he was making as he ate it was kind of disgusting, but cute too, in its own strange way. It brought back now fond memories of her best friend also making noises when he ate a particularly good cheeseburger. She remembered she used to tease him for it. But Gwen didn't think she could do the same with this Peter. He was old enough to be her dad and while he felt more like a fun uncle whom you could pal around with than a parental authority, she still didn't think even a "fun uncle" would take well to a teen criticizing how he ate. No matter how light-heartedly it was done.

Putting down her milkshake, she waited for Peter to finish his burger before she inquired, "Hey, Peter, can I ask you something?"

Distracted with cleaning his face of ketchup and mustard from his burger, he said, "Sure, kid, shoot."

Gwen took a deep breath. "Is there… Did you… Have you run into a Miles in your New York?" she finally stammered out.

Balling up the napkin he'd used to clean his face, Peter tossed it on his now empty plate as he answered, "Nope."

"…Oh."

Turning his head and looking out the window, Peter slouched in his seat as he mused, "But, ya know, I think I have crossed paths with his dad a few times over the years—" He stopped abruptly and met Gwen's gaze, his eyes slightly wider than before as he babbled, "I mean, I can't say for sure, but looking back…" he trailed off, only to nod to himself. "Yeah, it was him. So, I'm sure there's a Miles out there somewhere." He grimaced a little as he put his elbows on the table and leaned in closer to Gwen. "The Prowler too, actually," Peter added in a low grumble, "and quite recently."

Gwen blinked. That was interesting. And telling. Peter was likely right he had a Miles too, but his wasn't powered like them (probably) if his uncle was still kicking. "Huh," she muttered, letting the two of them lapse into silence.

After a couple of minutes, Peter cleared his throat and asked, "Ehm, Gwen, I don't want to pry or anything, but was this chat the reason you invited me to your 'verse and not to discuss strategies for handling the Rhino as you implied?"

She frowned and cast her attention to the other occupants in the diner. It was busy, but that was no surprise. It was just before one on a Saturday. "I do want to talk about the Rhino," she told him. He was a tricky villain to deal with. Not overly bright, but quite resilient. Especially since he began to wear the suit that resisted the webbing she and Aunt May made together to melt his enhanced skin so he could be sedated and locked in a secure prison.

Twirling a lock of hair on her finger, she murmured, "I was just… Wondering, I guess."

Peter chuckled. "Wondering, huh? Or have you bumped into your New York's little goofball?"

Gwen sighed. "Yeah," she confessed, adding in a mumble, "_Little_ being the keyword."

Confusion puckered Peter's brow. "Being the— Oh. _Oh_." Brown eyes now soft and sympathetic, he reached across the table to lay his hand atop Gwen's own. "Aw, kid."

Carefully, she extracted herself from Peter's touch. "No, it's fine," Gwen assured him. Smiling, she told Peter, "Miles is cute. Sometimes, I babysit him. He's not _Miles_, but he's close and it's… Nice."

A miffed air overcame Peter's expression. "Do ya? Kid, you know you don't have to do all of that if you do want to. I know it must make you miss our Miles like crazy between visits to his New York."

"I can handle it," Gwen replied while letting her gaze drift to the window beside them as she continued, "Besides, what you go throw must be so much worse. Having to see Miles's Peter's Aunt May when you go there… " she trailed off and bit her lip. Finally, she whispered, "Having to speak and work with me so much."

Now sitting up straight and eyes large with bewilderment, he asked, "What are you talking about?"

Gwen looked briefly at the man and rolled her eyes before she returned her attention to the busy street outside the diner. "I'm not dumb, Peter. You had a Gwen like I had a Peter. I bet you failed to save her like I failed to save my best friend."

Out of the corner of her eyes, she watched Peter run a hand over his hair and then cover his mouth before he muttered, "Jeezus, Gwen—"

Gwen shook her head and cut off Peter, "—No, I know I'm right and it's _okay_." Forcing a small smile, she said, "Yeah, sometimes I feel worse after seeing you and after I babysit there are times I really, really wish Miles was _my_ Miles, but other times – lots of the time – I feel better." She then looked to the table and started to trace a nonexistent shape in the wood's grain with her finger. Softly, she told Peter, "It's kind of nice seeing you because while you're not my best friend, I see a lot of him in you and it makes him feel not so gone. It's the same with Miles. He's already so much like ours and as weird as it can get, I also like it. It's cool seeing him become a little more of the guy I know every time I see him. " She lifted her gaze to meet Peter's eyes, and finished, hopeful, "You know?"

Peter's shoulders relaxed and a smile quirked the corners of his mouth. "Yeah, kid."

Relieved he understood, Gwen grinned before she grabbed her milkshake once again and took a large gulp. When done, she said, "I know I asked you about your New York's Miles first, but I really do want to talk about the Rhino. He used to be just kind of a nuisance. Since he's got this acid-resistant suit of his, he's turned into a real pain."

"It's a suit he wears that's acid resistant, huh? Interesting. That's not how it is in my universe. In mine, he underwent some other experiment to become physically impervious to it…"

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**I thought this would be a fun addition to the series, what do you think?**

**Thanks for reading!**


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